The Water Tribe Doll
by Laundrybender
Summary: Children of the Fire Nation are raised and educated amidst propaganda and racism. Even children’s toys stereotype and distort their views of the other nations. Around the time that Sozin attacked the Air Nomads, the Fire Lord also placed a ban on any go
1. Chapter 1

"The Water Tribe Doll"

_Summary: Children of the Fire Nation are raised and educated amidst propaganda and racism. Even children's toys stereotype and distort their views of the other nations. Around the time that Sozin attacked the Air Nomads, the Fire Lord also placed a ban on any goods that promote the cultures of the foreign nations. As a young prince, Zuko is accustomed to leading finely-crafted Fire Nation army troops in battle against crudely made toys that depict foreigners as uncouth, dirty peasants. Yet by intercepting a present meant for Azula, Zuko gains possession of a beautiful Water maiden doll crafted by the Water Tribe. Later, as a banished prince, Zuko sees foreigners in the prejudiced manner that the Fire Nation wants him to view them. Yet his memories of love for the Water Tribe doll are stirred up by a Water maiden who possesses the beauty and gentle nature of the doll, but the will of a warrior. This story will briefly cover a part of Zuko's childhood as well as some of his experiences in Season 1 and 2. However the focus of the story will be on the Zutaraness that will be Season 3. Or at least how I would write Season 3. Heehee. I don't own these characters. Please R&R. Rating will change from chapter to chapter._

Chapter 1

Zuko was lucky to be born. He was conceived during the beginning of the year of the Tiger. Ozai wanted his firstborn child to be a dragon (powerful & lucky) or a rat (cunning & ambitious). The Fire Sages tried to convince Ozai that Tigers have great qualities too: they are courageous, determined, warm-hearted, and open to new experiences. The father-to-be merely scowled at their assurances. He sought an audience with Azulon to get permission to abort the child. The Fire Lord was enraged by this request and very nearly burned the ceiling of his throne room. Thus Zuko was allowed to live, barely.

_9 years later_

Safely tucked away in his secret hiding spot, young Zuko eyed his stolen prize: a doll from the Water Tribe. The prince had never seen anything like it. Sure he had Water Tribe toy soldiers, but the army men toys were crude renditions crafted by Fire Nation toymakers. This doll was a girl toy made by the Water Tribe. She was meant to be a present for Azula from Uncle. Knowing that his sister would torch the little figure, he swiped it before his sibling could even get a look at it.

Zuko smiled at the warm expression of the doll's face. It reminded him of the way his mother looked at him, full of kindness and love. He peered happily into the vibrant blue of the doll's serene eyes, then snuggled the toy against his cheek.

"I'm glad that you saved her, Zuko."

The prince smiled at his mother. She was the only other person who knew about his hiding spot.

"Promise you won't tell Azula?"

"I promise honey."

Satisfied, Zuko turned back to the doll. He scuttled over to his toy palace and placed her into the highest room. He reached into his toy box and pulled out a proud firebender figurine. Zuko placed him next to the doll.

"Are you friends with the Water Tribe girl, my son?"

"Yes, mother. We're married."

Ursa smiled. "And how did you meet a girl from so far away?"

"I was conquering more lands for the honor of our Nation. I saved her from a polar bear."

"That was very brave of you Zuko. But son, what about the Avatar? Won't your Water maiden cry if you fight the last airbender?" Ursa asked with a sad smile.

Zuko thought quietly for several minutes. He glanced over at his Avatar doll. It was much the worse for wear as he would fight and defeat the airbender several times daily. The Prince moved his firebender figurine in front of the Water Tribe doll, effectively blocking the doll's view out of the palace window. He then gathered his biggest, fiercest dragons and placed them around the palace gates.

"I will leave the Avatar alone if he leaves me alone. And if he dares try to fight me I'll have my dragons fling him across the sea with the whip of their tales."


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's note: This chapter will briefly cover some important parts of Season 1. The point is to add in Zuko's private thoughts and to integrate Season 1 into my story. Chapter 3 will do the same thing for Season 2. Chapter 4 will be the point where we stop jumping quickly through different points of time, as it and the chapters after it will be my rendition of Season 3. I don't own these characters. Please R&R. Thank you!_

Chapter 2

_The Boy in the Iceberg_

For two years Prince Zuko had been searching the lands in and around the Southern Air Temple. The deserted Temple was a ghost town. He had not seen even one live animal amidst the grounds, though he thought he might have heard some scuffling sounds in the trees. Perhaps not all of the winged lemurs had died out. Zuko had led his men out of that area as soon as he was certain the Avatar was not there. He had barely held it together when he found the bones of the Air Nomad children. A memory flickered inside his head of crudely carved Airbender figurines being knocked to the ground by the charge of his komodo rhino toy.

When the light appeared off the shores of the South Pole, Zuko was amazed by the power of the beam and relieved that the time had finally come to face his foe. _Damn the Avatar for making me wait so long!_

"I don't need any calming tea! I need to capture the Avatar. Helmsman, head a course for the light!"

They sailed and searched long into the night. Zuko didn't even try to rest that evening. He was too close to the end of his banishment. And he never did sleep that well these days anyway. He'd had too many nightmares about child monks being stomped to death by komodo rhinos.

"This coward's hundred years in hiding are over."

As the sun was setting the next day, a Fire Nation distress signal erupted into the sky. Zuko spied the Avatar and a Water Tribe person running away from an old ship towards a village. He had thought that the Southern Water Tribe had been destroyed or had lost so many of its members that they had been forced to join up with their Northern brethren. As he surveyed the tiny encampment huddled against the unforgiving Arctic cold, he remembered the gentle, smiling expression of the Water Tribe doll. He narrowed his eyes and pushed the image away. He had to capture the Avatar. No matter what it took.

_The Avatar Returns_

Zuko felt his ship pierce through the ice surrounding the Water Tribe village. A flash of worry stung through his mind that someone on the ice might be crushed or lost under the sea. But then he steadied his breathing and the thought was gone. He and his men strode out of the ship.

_Blue eyes. Look at them, they're so scared. It's just women and children, and one pathetic man-child. Don't look in their eyes. I don't want them to look at me like that. I'm not the bad guy. The Avatar is the one who's been hiding for a century. _Zuko tried to visualize the villagers as misshapen toy army men. It helped a little if he didn't look directly at them for very long, especially the beautiful one standing by the old woman. _Dammit, why won't they give him up?_ He aimed a fire burst above their heads to try and scare them into talking. Their high-pitched cries shamed him but he would not leave without the Avatar.

The Airbender knocked him to the ground, but then nobly surrendered to protect the villagers. _Wow, what a goddamn hero. I wasn't really going to hurt them. _Zuko continued walking up his ship even as he heard the girl pleading with the Avatar not to surrender. He knew the boy would do the right thing.

_Imprisoned_

Zuko explored the abandoned rig for any signs of the Avatar. He had encountered the soldiers who had been thrown overboard by the escaped Earthbender prisoners. They had told him of their encounter with the Airbender and the Water Tribe siblings. Zuko was impressed that the girl had been able to rouse men more than thrice her age into fighting against their captors. _She must be quite a woman. _A glint of light drew his attention downward to a blue necklace. _This must be hers. _It looked to be made of the same material as the hair ribbons the Water Tribe doll wore. As he clasped it into his hand, he frowned at the memories the necklace brought up. He looked at it more closely and clutched the stone tightly. Zuko stared into the sunset as he recalled how soft the doll's hair and ribbons had felt when he had held her against his face as a child.

_The Waterbending Scroll_

"I'll save you from the pirates."

Zuko meant it. The pirates wanted to kill the Water Tribe girl. He just wanted information. But she wasn't very grateful and she wasn't cooperating, even though he'd offered not to hurt her or her brother. Hell, she would barely even look at him. It bothered him. He wasn't such a horrible person. Maybe she'd be more appreciative if he showed her he had her necklace. Yep, that got her attention.

"Tell me where he is."

Still no.

That night while he was trying to fall asleep his thoughts drifted to the girl. He would give her the necklace back…for a price. He smiled to himself. Perhaps he could get her to kiss him. Or maybe she'd tell him to go jump in the river again. Either way it would be worth it for the look on her face. He laughed softly to himself and eventually fell asleep to peaceful dreams.

_Bato of the Water Tribe_

"So this is your girlfriend. No wonder she ran away. She's much too pretty for you."

_She is pretty_. He made sure that she didn't fall off of the shirshu.

_Dammit, the Avatar took the necklace. So much for that kiss._

_The Siege of the North_

Zuko found the Avatar meditating by a small pond. The Water Tribe girl was overconfident in her ability to protect the Airbender.

"Well, aren't you just a big girl now."

His nerves were shot to hell from breaking into the frozen city. Zuko hoped his brusqueness would be enough to scare her off into running for help. He didn't want to hurt her, although he would if he had to. He offered her the chance to surrender the Avatar, but she went into a fighting stance.

"I see you've learned a new trick. But I didn't come this far to lose to you."

There's no way he was going to lose to a girl. Especially not to this little girl.

"You little peasant. You found a Master haven't you?"

It hurt his pride that she was besting him. Her skills were amazing. He had never witnessed a Master Waterbender in action before. Her movements were graceful and beautiful. She was in control now and he hated it. But then the sunlight shone.

"You rise with the moon. I rise with the sun."

He had beaten her. Things were as they should be.

"Here for a rematch?"

Then she kicked his ass again. _Dammit all to hell. _


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's note: This chapter will briefly cover some important parts of Season 2. Keep in mind that it will skip to different points in time and will not cover everything that occurred in Season 2. I'm just elaborating on the points that I found to be most relevant for the Zutara Season 3 that begins in Chapter 5. Chapter 3 includes my interpretation of Zuko's private thoughts as well as some memories of his childhood that are partly my guess at what life was like for him. In Chapter 4, Zuko will have a very "special" dream involving the doll and I will cover the rest of the important parts of Season 2 that I didn't get to in Chapter 3._

_Chapter 3_

_The Avatar State_

It had been three long years since Zuko's father had exiled him from the Fire Nation…from the palace he had grown up in. But his years of loneliness had begun even before Ozai had scarred his face. His mother had left him when he was only ten years old. Without Ursa around, there had been little protection for him against Azula. And once Ozai ascended the throne he spoke even less to his son than he had before. There had been times when Zuko had attempted to reach out to his father, but the man rarely even acknowledged his presence. Furthermore, without his wife there to scold him, the Fire Lord had denied Zuko access to the finest teachers in the Nation, claiming that the prince was a waste of their time and that Azula deserved their full attention. Zuko had begun to realize that Ozai did not want him to inherit the empire.

During the trying years in the palace after Ursa left, Zuko took all of his frustration and rage out on his Avatar figurine. He was not allowed to hit Azula and there was nothing he could do to his father. Thus he would construct and play out elaborate battles against the Airbender using his toy soldiers and the war strategies that Iroh taught him. And sometimes he would simply dash the toy against the palace walls. Zuko had been raised to hate the Avatar, but these negative feelings increased because the figurine was the focus of the prince's retaliation against his family.

Whenever Zuko fought the Airbender, he covered the Water Tribe doll's eyes with one of his mother's silk handkerchiefs or he simply turned her around so she was not facing them. He knew that this was silly, but he felt compelled to keep her from seeing his fights with the monk.

_The Cave of Two Lovers_

Song's tale of the Fire Nation troops taking her father away pained him. He felt compelled to show her some compassion. Zuko's father didn't love him, and in a way that was like losing a true father.

"I haven't seen my father in many years."

"Oh, is he fighting in the war?"

"Yeah." Zuko frowned bitterly. _Damn his father and this ridiculous war._

"Can I join you? I know what you've been through."

_No you don't. How can you even make that assumption? And why are you sitting so close to me?_

"We've all been through it. The Fire Nation has hurt you."

_You don't know what you're talking about. You sound like the Earth Kingdom's version of propaganda. _He stopped her from touching his scar. Zuko wasn't a petting zoo, and this girl didn't know who she was dealing with. The Fire Nation hadn't hurt him. No, it had been his own father who did this. Zuko still had faith in his people. Didn't she know that his Nation had no choice but to follow Ozai's orders?

"It's okay. They've hurt me too."

Zuko was astounded. How could his people have done this to a defenseless girl? He felt overcome with shame at his heritage. _We're not all bad. It's my father. He did this. He poisoned our nation._

"Junior, where are your manners? You need to thank these nice people."

He didn't want to thank them. If they had known he and Iroh were from the Fire Nation they probably would never have helped save Uncle's life. Zuko wanted to get out of there. Song's scar was now covered up, but he knew it was there and it shamed him.

"I know you don't think there's any hope left in the world, but there is hope. The Avatar has returned."

"I know." He felt overcome with bitterness. _Why do all these people adore the Airbender?_ If this girl wasn't so clueless then she would know that if anyone was going to stop the war he was the most likely to pull it off. Sure the Avatar had been able to evade him so far, and that stunt at the North Pole had been impressive, but only someone with the divine right to rule the Fire Nation would be able to turn their people away from the violent path they had been leading. Zuko knew that without a bloodlined-leader, the Nation would destroy itself with civil war.

Then he stole Song's ostrich horse.

_The Swamp_

"This is humiliating. We're royalty. These people should be giving us whatever we want."

Zuko complained but this wasn't the first time he had been denied what by blood should have been his. He had had to struggle and fight to get even a fifth of the resources that had been handed to Azula on a silver platter. The prince cringed at his uncle's attempt to flirt with an Earth Kingdom girl. _How humiliating._

"Nothing like a fat man dancing for his dinner. Here ya go."

Zuko threw the bastard to the floor and picked up the man's broadswords. The weapons made him feel alive once again. No longer would he wait to be given what was rightfully his. He would take it himself.

_Zuko Alone_

The prince would not let the Earth Kingdom thugs hurt Lee. He would stop them. This whole situation reminded him of how he had lost his mother. Azula had convinced Ozai to send her away. His sister had been enraged by the talk that Ursa gave her when her mother caught her manipulating Zuko. It had been Azula's policy almost from birth to get rid of anything that stood in her way towards gaining complete power. The little sociopath would not stand for even her own mother trying to keep her from doing what she wanted. And because she was "Daddy's little girl" she got her way. She was nothing but a bully, just like the Earth Kingdom soldiers. He hadn't been able to stop his mother from leaving, but at least he could save Lee.

Yet it didn't matter what he did for the Earth Kingdom villagers. They would always hate him because of his nationality. Zuko knew that he might never be appreciated for his actions the way that the Avatar was. It seemed that he was destined for rejection. No matter, he was strong enough to make his way alone.

_The Chase_

"Zuko, I can help."

_I don't want them to see me cry. I don't want to need their help. Even her help. _He felt ashamed that he wasn't able to protect his uncle.

"Leave!"

_Bitter Work_

"Water is the element of change. The people of the Water Tribe are capable of adapting to many things. They have a deep sense of community and love that holds them together through anything….the technique I am about to teach you is one I learned by studying the Waterbenders."

Zuko thought back on the time Katara had fought him in the North Pole. She'd moved her slender arms in fast circular motions around her head. He wondered what he could do with fire if he learned to move like she did.

_The Tales of Ba Sing Se_

He felt Jin's lips against his own. Zuko leaned in for another kiss almost on instinct. It was strange. This was his first kiss. He hadn't been expecting it. Zuko had sometimes wondered if a girl would ever willingly kiss him with this scar on his face. The kiss felt so good, but he pulled away. It wasn't fair to Jin to share this kind of intimacy when the girl didn't even know she was kissing a Firebender. He had to admit he was tempted to slip his tongue inside of her, but he resisted.

"How was your night Prince Zuko?"

"It was nice."

Zuko slid the door closed and sighed. What he would give to have a real relationship with someone. He allowed his thoughts to drift back in time.

When he wasn't abusing his Avatar toy, Zuko would often play pretend firebending in front of the Water Tribe doll. He would imagine himself performing the advanced techniques that he'd seen the soldiers do during their training sessions. Without his mother around, there was really no one around who was interested enough to watch him train other than Iroh. Thus he would imagine the doll as if she were a real-life girl who would marvel at his growing powers and depend on him for protection.

Zuko's eyes slid shut and he began to have a most interesting dream…


	4. Chapter 4

_This chapter begins with a dream Zuko has the night he kissed Jin then continues briefly through the rest of Season 2. Chapter 5 will be the start of Season 3! I don't own these characters or their dialogues from the show. Please R&R D_

Chapter 4

Zuko walked aimlessly down the streets of Lower Ring Ba Sing Se. The avenue was crowded with life-size Earth Kingdom figurines that were slowly shambling towards wherever it was that they were headed to. As he continued, the prince noticed glowing lights coming from further down the road. The lanterns of the Firelight Fountain had been lit for the evening. Their small flames flickered and reflected off the water.

He saw a girl sitting on the edge of the fountain. She was trailing her delicate fingertips along the surface of the glittering water and watching the tiny ripples that formed. Zuko smiled and walked closer to the figure. Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks. He knew this girl! She wore a blue dress trimmed with polar bear fur and adorned with cerulean colored stones. Her wavy brown hair trailed along her back down to her waist. She had two braids interlaced with azure ribbons that tied together at the back of her head. The maiden turned and smiled shyly at him. The prince sat down beside her, gazing deeply into her blue eyes. She looked exactly like Katara, but she was wearing the Water Tribe doll's clothes!

"Zuko," the girl said softly.

She had the warmest most loving expression on her face. He felt a pain inside of him flow away and his heart fluttered against his chest. He brought his hand to his chest and his fingertips brushed against what felt like flower petals. The prince looked down and there indeed was a flower blooming right above his heart! Zuko tenderly took the blossom into his palm. How had it gotten there? There hadn't been a pin to hold it against his shirt. How had it stayed on his chest?

The flower was a green lotus and it twirled slowly in his hand of its own accord. The prince smiled and reached out to offer the flower to her. She gently accepted it and cupped it into both of her hands. The lotus began to twirl faster, and they both laughed softly.

"I've missed you," he said as he ran a hand through her hair.

The girl laid her head against his shoulder, the flower resting in her hands at her lap. Zuko rubbed a fistful of her soft locks against his face. They pulled apart slightly and stared into each other's eyes. The prince slowly brought his face down and gently kissed her lips. He smiled in his sleep.

Now, if you were to ask Zuko what a chakra was, he wouldn't be able to tell you. But, in that moment when he gave the lotus to the maiden, he succeeded in opening his air chakra.

_Lake Laogai_

"I'm begging you Prince Zuko! It's time for you to look inward and begin asking yourself the big questions. Who are you? And what do you want?"

Zuko realized that he had been lying to himself. He wasn't the Blue Spirit, not anymore. The prince had been a different person when he'd used the oni mask to rob from Earth Kingdom people. Zuko had left that lifestyle behind him when he'd caught himself about to steal food from a woman with child. When he'd come across Lee and his family they gave him the opportunity to earn his food. Out in the wilderness he had begun to remember who he was. He wasn't a thief. He wasn't a vigilante. And he didn't need the Avatar to restore his honor. But could he really find it in himself to release the bison that belonged to his longtime enemy?

The prince stared at the blue oni mask. He had worn this persona for so long that he'd actually come to believe that that was who he really was.

"Leave it behind."

Zuko watched the mask slowly sink into the blue waters of the lake. He felt hot and weak. Unbeknownst to him, by letting go of his false persona and accepting his true nature he had unstopped the lie that had been blocking his sound chakra. And because of the disparity between the two personas, his body was now unsure as to whether it was living or dying.

_The Earth King_

Zuko's body was fighting to come to terms with the loss of a persona that had been dominant for so many years. The last traces of the old persona's essence used its dying breath to take the form of the Blue Dragon. It attempted to kill the prince by dragging him down with it as it fell into the void. Sensing the danger, Iroh roused Zuko from his deadly dream.

"Your critical decision, what you did beneath that lake, it was in such conflict with your image of yourself that you are now at war within your own mind and body. You're going through a metamorphosis, my nephew. It will not be a pleasant experience. But when you come out of it, you will be the beautiful prince you were always meant to be."

That night, Zuko washed away his illusion of separateness from the Avatar, thus unlocking his light chakra.

_The Guru/The Crossroads of Destiny_

The prince was now truly himself in mind and spirit. His original positive outlook on life had finally returned after many years of dormancy. His senses had opened up like a bud bursting into bloom. Zuko was alert and ready when Azula showed up in the Earth King's palace.

"No, I'm tired of running. It's time I faced Azula."

The prince's unclouded mind assessed that with his sister controlling the Dai Lee, he and his uncle had run out of options as far as settling down and making a life for themselves. Zuko was not about to live his life on the run once again. He was free to choose his own destiny, and he chose to stand and fight. He knew that he was outnumbered, but he hoped that Azula still underestimated his powers enough to fight him in an Agni Kai. She declined the duel. _Is she scared of me, or is she really just that lazy?_

"You've got company."

_Hey! Watch the face!_

"Zuko!"

He looked up to see Katara glaring down at him. _Uh oh_. He got up and walked several feet away from the girl, then sat facing the hole that he had been unceremoniously dumped through. This way he would be closer to the door in case he had to protect her from the Dai Lee AND he'd be farther away from her screaming. The prince was not looking forward to her yelling at him.

"Why did they throw you in here? Oh wait lemme guess: it's a trap so that when Aang shows up to help me you can finally have him in your little Fire Nation clutches."

Zuko's frown deepened and he turned his face to the side, almost looking at her. _My hands aren't small! _He turned away again. It was probably best to let her finish with her tirade.

"You're a terrible person, you know that? Always following us, hunting the Avatar, trying to capture the world's last hope for peace. But what do you care? You're the Fire Lord's son. Spreading war and violence and hatred is in your blood.

"You don't know what you're talking about!" _He isn't the world's last hope for peace, and I am not like my father!_

"I don't? How dare you? You have no idea what this war has put me through: ME, personally."

He turned his head slightly towards her, waiting.

"The Fire Nation took my mother away from me."

_Oh. _She was crying. He did turn to look at her now.

"I'm sorry."

He turned completely around to face her.

"That's something we have in common."

She stopped crying and turned around to look at him. His eyes were sincere. Zuko stood up and faced the doorway again. Katara slowly got to her feet and then walked a couple steps closer to him.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you before."

"It doesn't matter."

"It's just that for so long now when I would imagine the face of the enemy, it was your face."

Their gazes met.

"My face." The prince turned away. "I see." Zuko touched his scar, wishing that she could have seen him without it.

"No, no. That's, that's not what I meant."

"It's okay. I used to think that this scar marked me: the mark of the banished prince, cursed to chase the Avatar forever. But lately, I've realized I'm free to determine my own destiny, even if I'll never be free of my mark."

Katara offered to try to heal his scar. He paused. _Will she be revolted by the feel of my charred skin?_ The prince humbly closed his eyes and slightly lowered his head, silently asking her to please try. She touched him without hesitation or disgust. Her fingers were so soft against the hardness of his scar. _Does she use moisturizer?_

The Avatar burst into the room and the girl's hand retreated. Katara ran to hug the monk. The Airbender glared at him menacingly from over her shoulder. _Why you little…_

"Uncle, I don't understand. What are you doing with the Avatar?"

"Saving you, that's what."

Zuko cried out in rage and lunged towards the boy, but his uncle stopped him. _I don't need or want your help you little brat!_

"Zuko, it's time we talked. Go help your other friends. We'll catch up with you."

As Katara left, she turned to look at him. Her eyes said a silent apology for not being able to carry out her attempt to heal him. The prince watched her leave. He felt a sadness in his heart as she walked away to join her friend.

"Why Uncle?" But he knew why. His mind was no longer clouded with illusions.

"You're not the man you used to be Zuko. You are stronger and wiser and freer than you have ever been. And now you have come to the crossroads of your destiny. It's time for you to choose. It's time for you to choose good."

Azula appeared and offered him the chance to join her. The prince knew what he had to do. His inner tranquility had brought him the intuition he needed to beat Azula at her own game. But to do this, he would have to let go of his attachment to his uncle and to Katara. Zuko would protect them, but he would have to leave them behind and face his task alone. He bowed his head softly. As he exhaled, he let them go and his thought chakra opened. The prince felt a strong power being born within his body.

"Uncle, if something happens to the Avatar, promise me you'll try to save her."

And with that he unleashed a powerful kick with the heel of his foot that freed Iroh from his crystal prison.

Zuko aimed a gigantic fire blast in between the Avatar and Azula. His powers had grown immensely. His senses were more alive than they had ever felt before. The prince's concentration was intensely keyed up. The pure cosmic energy he had unknowingly accepted into his body had brought with it a colossal amount of sensory information. His powers were too great. Zuko had to adjust into a defensive fire whipping stance in order to give the Airbender more time to react to his attacks.

He broke Katara's hold on Azula.

"It thought you had changed!"

_Oh my god, woman. I'm fire-whipping you instead of blasting you into kingdom come! That doing anything for ya?_

"I have changed." He couldn't tell her his plan and it frustrated him.

The princess began to attack her as well. Zuko let out a few blasts aimed slightly to the side of Katara so as to appear to be helping his sister. Azula's lighting threw the girl into the crystals. A line of worry appeared under his eye for a split second and was gone.

His sister blasted the Avatar, and the prince hoped it would not be a killing blow. As Katara sailed towards them atop a gigantic wave, Zuko remembered the time when a mother turtleduck had savagely bitten him for hitting her turtleduckling with a loaf of bread. Perhaps that recollection was enough to cause the prince to pee his pants, but the wave drenched him, so we will never know.

Katara held the unconscious boy in her arms. Her eyes looked broken and they were glazed over like a doll's eyes. He huffed up his body against her pain and slowly walked towards them. _Any day now, Uncle!_

"You've got to get out of here! I'll hold them off as long as I can!"

He tried to keep the relief from showing on his face. _Do not fear, Uncle. I can do this._

"Today you restored your own honor."

He gave Azula the proud look that she was expecting from him. Zuko turned away. His mind was working frantically to reassure himself that Katara was alright and that she had been able to save the Avatar with the sacred water.


	5. Chapter 5

Inside a shadowy dungeon cell, the members of the Council of Five stood together in a line shoulder to shoulder. The prison door was hanging wide open, but the men weren't going anywhere. They had already been hypnotized by the rotating lantern and were now staring dumbly at the person in green who was speaking to them. Zuko waited quietly while the Dai Lee agent brainwashed the captured generals.

"The war is over. The Fire Nation is now our ally. The Avatar wants to end our peace and start another war. Kill him on sight."

Azula smiled triumphantly as the prisoners simultaneously repeated the lies back to the hypnotist.

"Our next target is the Eastern Air Temple. I want to finish off the Avatar now, while he's weak."

The prince kept his face a mask as his sister smiled evilly. He hoped that Uncle was okay in his prison cell under the city. Zuko couldn't chance risking a visit to the old man just yet. _Don't worry, Uncle, chasing the Avatar is nothing new for me. _But he wasn't really after the Avatar. There was someone else he wanted to get his hands on.

_She can't know about the plan. _Katara might accidentally give something away if she knew what he was doing. The prince longed to comfort her, to wipe away the tears he knew she must be crying. _The Avatar will hold her. _He narrowed his golden eyes and frowned bitterly. Plan or not, he would teach the boy some respect if the monk dared to hold her in front of him again. Zuko swore silently to himself that the next time he saw the Avatar it would be he who would have the girl in his arms.

Katara sat quietly atop Appa's neck as she held the sleeping Aang in her arms. She had long since run out of tears to cry. The crying and healing had left her feeling exhausted and panicky. The girl could not seem to stop ruminating about what might have become of the Kyoshi warriors. _Had they survived Azula's attack? And if so, had they gone to Ba Sing Se to try to warn us?_ Katara knew that her nervous worrying was not going to help Suki, so she tried to pull herself together.

Appa was flying them straight to the Eastern Air Temple. With Azula in control of the Earth Kingdom, it was only a matter of time until the princess would begin her hunt for them once again. It seemed likely that the woman would begin her search at the Temple where the Dai Lee knew Aang had been meeting with the Guru. It was dangerous, but they had to get the stranger out of there before Azula had him in her clutches.

They made excellent timing to the Temple and immediately explained the situation to the man whose name they came to know was Pathik. The old man readily came along with them and was very glad to see that the Avatar was alright. He directed Appa to fly southwest to an island on which he had friends who could shelter them. Under the cover of darkness, the team was led into a barn for the night. The Gaang lay down side by side and Katara fell asleep holding Aang tenderly against her.

In the early hours of the morning, Zuko set sail from the port at the Eastern Lake with Azula and the other girls. The helmsmen took them down the connecting river and out into the bay. Here they came across a fleet of Water Tribe ships. Azula put on the most saccharine sweet smile she could and hailed them.

"Fellow Allies, may I ask if you are familiar with the lands that are near to the Eastern Air Temple? We are on a geographical expedition to the Temple to look for artifacts for the Ba Sing Se Museum of History and National Science. Are there any villages near the island where we might buy supplies?"

In the morning, Aang had a long talk with the Guru. Katara had not been able to listen in as they had gone to speak someplace private, but the monk seemed to be feeling much better after the discussion.

Over breakfast, the team decided that they would make haste to General Fong's base. The man was unbalanced, but they needed to warn him about Azula's capture of the Council of Five and the Day of Black Sun. Hopefully they could outrun Azula before she could spread some sort of inaccuracy that would cause them trouble. The Gaang also decided that it would be best to stay away from villages as much as possible and only go into one when they needed provisions.

Now that they were on the run from two nations, they would all have to wear disguises whenever they needed to go into town. Guru Pathik's friends had a chest full of extra clothing that they were free to use for this purpose. They each took turns being alone in the dressing room with the chest so that they could surprise each other with their costumes before storing them in Appa's saddle.

Katara had very nearly wet herself when Aang had run back into the room dressed as an old man with big bushy hair that covered his tattoo and a moustache shrieking "Bonzoo Pippenpadalopsacopolus III lives again!" Sokka re-entered much more calmly. He had chosen a green and yellow Earth Kingdom outfit to match his tote bag. Next, the Earth King (who was now going by his first name, Kuei) painted a white stripe down Bosco's back to disguise him as a skunk bear. He himself donned tan peasant clothes and was very pleased with himself. Pathik found a pointed straw hat and blue shirt and trousers.

Katara went in with Toph to help her pick something out. She had been absolutely forbidden from selecting anything even remotely cutesy for the younger girl. Katara found her a green silk mandarin collared shirt with golden frog closures down the front. There was also matching pants. As Toph got dressed, she fished around the chest to find something for herself. In her search she found the most beautiful pink fabric she had ever laid eyes on. The color reminded her of something Aunt Wu had said to her the day she had told her fortune:

"_I see a great romance for you: the man you're going to marry….I can see that he is a very powerful bender." The fortuneteller had then looked up Katara's birth date in a large book. "You were born in the month of the Pig, which means that the Pig is your inner animal."_

Katara smiled at the memory. She had been somewhat taken aback that she was a Pig, but Aunt Wu had reassured her that the Pig was a noble animal who was known to be cheerful, caring, supportive, generous, and affectionate. The fortuneteller had told her that her inner sign would attract numerous potential suitors as the Pig is compatible with a great many animals, but that in the end she would find her true love.

The girl blushed and went back to examining the fabric. The cloth was long and wide and it had iridescent threads woven throughout it that shimmered like clear crystals. Katara lamented aloud if only there was a dress of this material! Toph came over to inspect the fabric. She measured the length of the material by armspans and then inquired if there was a midriff top and long skirt within the chest that matched the scarf. Katara searched the trunk again more thoroughly and found them.

"What kind of outfit is this?"

"It's a Sari. Put the top and the skirt on and I'll help you with the draping."

Toph wrapped one part of the Sari about Katara's waist and draped the other end over her shoulder. Katara looked at herself in the mirror in shock. The foreign outfit was exquisitely beautiful and feminine. She was used to wearing clothes that were hardy so as to stand up against the Arctic weather. But this outfit accentuated her delicate frame and the curves of her body. Her hair lay freely in waves past her shoulders. It and her skin positively glowed against the sparkling fabric. Katara's eyes seemed even larger than normal, and the color appeared more jewel-like and intense than before. As she stared into her own eyes she realized that they portrayed the shock that she had recently been through. She was holding it together but her eyes were like mirrors into the very depths of her being. Yet while her eyes did hold fear, there was also power, clarity, and compassion.

"It's pink isn't it?" Toph asked abruptly. Both girls burst out laughing.

When they came out to show off their costumes Aang got the most peculiar expression on his face and his nose started bleeding. Once Katara was able to stop the bleeding, she looked around and noticed that the men were gone. She, Toph, and Aang found them in an adjoining room smoking a Hookah and laughing like maniacs.

Toph wafted her nose in annoyance. "What's in that thing?"

Sokka, Pathik, and Kuei paused and looked at each other and then burst into loud fits of laughter. Katara sighed. _I would expect this sort of behavior from Sokka, but the other two… _She picked up the hookah amidst loud boos and strangely….chittering….?

"Momo! Sokka, how could you?!" Momo was lying on a silk pillow watching his paw as he twirled it in circles above his head.

"Don't blame me. He breathed in the fumes."

"Well, well, well. It looks like we interrupted quite a party."

Katara gaped in disbelief as Azula, Ty Lee, Mai, and Zuko filed into the room.

Zuko gazed at Katara, memorizing every little detail: her hair flowing about her shoulders; her skin glowing against the pink cloth, showing in patches he had never seen before, the low neckline, the midriff top. Her eyes were the shocked blue of Arctic Polar Bear dogs. He gritted his teeth when Sokka shambled in front of his sister.

"I have the strength of ten men!"

Katara grabbed her idiot brother by the hand and bolted towards where she had left her canteen. She heard crashes as the fighting began but she concentrated on getting to her water pouch. She cried out as Ty Lee jabbed into her pressure points. Katara was falling to the floor and she couldn't stop herself. Strong arms caught her before she could hit the ground. She looked up into golden eyes and whimpered helplessly.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The prince was staring down at her with an unreadable expression on his face. Katara felt bombarded with emotions. _Why did I have to tell him about my mother? _It made her feel naked and exposed before him. She sensed that her eyes were wide with panic and that her mouth was slightly parted. She desperately wanted to escape the prince and his gaze. The girl trembled and tried fruitlessly to free herself from his strong, hard arms but she could barely lift her head up from Zuko's shoulder. _Why did he bother to catch me? _He was holding her so close against him that it felt like an embrace. Being held in the arms of a prince sounded like something out of a fairytale, but this real life experience was not so comforting.

It didn't seem fair that almost every man Katara had ever grown close to ended up betraying her. _It's my fault for trusting so easily. _She had readily revealed her greatest sorrow to Jet and Zuko. Both of them fooled her into thinking that they were good people. To make matters worse, when Jet actually did change he was badly injured. The girl tried to take Aunt Wu's words to heart. _One day I will have my great romance._

Katara shifted her attention to Zuko's slitted eye—it was encircled by the scar she had so freely offered to try to heal. The mark made his face look even more cold and cruel. It reminded her of the white patches of fur that surround the eyes of the tiger. For some reason that made her begin to cry. Katara turned away from the prince, not wanting to share any more intimate moments with this terrible man.

Zuko tried to keep what he was feeling off of his face. It felt so good to hold her like this. She was so soft and beautiful. The girl's unwillingly compliant body was draped in his arms like some sort of heavenly offering that he desperately wanted to enjoy. He felt the strongest desire to lower his mouth down onto hers for a kiss. The girl began to tremble in his arms. _She must feel so betrayed. One day I'll make you understand, Katara._

"Put her down now!"

_The Avatar. _Zuko scowled at the monk, who had temporarily dazed Mai. Katara let out another frightened whimper.

"What's the matter Avatar? Jealous you weren't fast enough to get here first?"

The prince gave Katara over to her brother, who had been trying to hurry some additional puffs from the hookah. Zuko decided to nudge Sokka through the doorway and slide it shut so that the boy's sister wouldn't see him fight her friend.

"Sokka, listen to me! You have to take me, Momo, Pathik, and Kuei to Appa!"

Just then Pathik came running by with a dazed Momo in his arms and Kuei dragging along behind him. _That man sure knows how to handle his…whatever that junk is that they just smoked!_

They piled onto Appa and swooped down to get Toph and Aang. Ty Lee looked to be unconscious and Azula was trapped by some rocks. Mai was busy pocketing the hookah and Zuko was slowly getting up to go free his sister.

As Appa flew them away to safety, Aang held onto Katara to keep her from falling since she was still recovering the use of her limbs. The girl glanced down below and for a moment her gaze met Zuko's. For a second, a glimmer of what looked like longing passed through his golden eyes and then was gone.

Zuko tried to remain composed. _She'll be mine; I just have to be patient_.

Azula decided that their best strategy was to split up so that she could sail to General Fong's base with her Dai Lee agents and then meet back up with them. Mai, Ty Lee, Zuko, and one Dai Lee soldier were left on the shore of the Southern Earth Kingdom along with their respective Mongoose Dragons and Ostrich Horses. They set off in pursuit in the direction the bison had gone. Their job was to slow down or capture the Avatar before he could beat Azula to the general.

The Gaang flew for much of the day and into the afternoon when they saw a vicious rain storm headed towards them from the northeast. They landed and Toph and Aang earthbended a shelter big enough for everyone to fit into. Sokka set up a fire while Toph and Katara changed behind Appa into their regular clothes. As Katara walked back around the bison a lightning bolt hit the ground somewhere far off in the distance causing Aang to startle reflexively in fear. She put her arms around him and he relaxed against her. A few minutes after they got settled in, the rain started pouring down hard.

"We're going to have to find someplace to camp soon," the soldier stated.

They saw a fire in the distance and led the girls towards it. The rain was coming in buckets and they'd almost lost control of the animals when the lightning hit. But the biggest shock came when they found the Gaang resting comfortably around a campfire. They stayed back to prevent the other group from noticing their presence. From the shadows, Zuko glared at the Avatar. _You're holding her again._

They found themselves a cave to stay in nearby.

Katara knew she had begun to dream when she felt a silk nightgown enclosing her body instead of her usual clothes. The garment was trimmed seductively in see-through lace that exposed her stomach and cleavage. _Well that's different. _She looked around and found that she was sitting in an expansive dimly lit room on a large bed with her legs hanging over the side. A door opened and a shadowy figure entered the room. The girl was afraid even before she saw who it was.

"Zuko!"

He was wearing dark colored noblemen's garb. The prince hungrily took in the sight of her. She gasped as Zuko began advancing closer. The girl fumbled for her water canteen but it wasn't there. She looked up and he was standing right beside her.

"Stay away!"

Katara tried to push him back but he was leaning in even closer to her. She cried out in fear as his body parted her legs. A memory flashed through her mind of his ship plunging through the ice surrounding her village. The girl pushed desperately against his chest but he gripped her waist and gently but forcefully pulled her against his strong body. Katara whimpered as Zuko breathed against her neck and then began kissing her there up and down. She shuddered and cried out at the sensations his lips and tongue were making her feel.

"Please stop!" she begged.

Surprisingly he did stop. The prince lifted his head up to look at her face. She was startled by the predatory look in his golden eyes.

"I've been waiting to do this for a long time."

He smiled at her wickedly before suddenly tearing the delicate gown from her body.

_No!!!!_

Katara awoke screaming, causing Momo to fly up in the air into the ceiling and knock himself silly while the rest of the camp woke up and peered at her questioningly.

"Sorry, it was a nightmare."

"Was it about food eating people?" Sokka suggested.

Zuko woke with a start and hit his head on the wall of the cave. _Ouch! _He rubbed his head and realized that a female was screaming. _Someone's hurting Katara! _The prince got to his feet and ran towards the sound with his companions following hurriedly behind him.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Zuko crashed into the clearing where the Avatar and his friends had erected their rock shelter. He spied Katara alert and unharmed and relaxed slightly. The Gaang jumped to their feet in alarm at the sudden intrusion. Aang glared at the prince before rushing out to face him in battle. Toph and the Dai Lee soldier earthbended themselves into each other. Ty Lee cart-wheeled towards Sokka and Mai flung shurikens at Katara.

The monk sent a figure-shaped blast of air careening at Zuko, but the prince dodged before it could hit home. He gave Aang a considering look while maintaining his fighting stance.

"Why was she screaming?" he asked, hurtling fire blasts at the monk.

The Avatar beat the flames away with his staff. He then paused, as if hesitating whether or not to share information with the enemy. The prince watched surprise, suspicion, and finally anger float across the other boy's face.

"She was having a nightmare—not that it's any concern of yours! **I **protect Katara. Not you."

Zuko gritted his teeth in anger at the monk's icy warning. _I protect her more than you know._

"I'll have to remedy that by taking her off of your hands."

Aang launched himself at the Firebender in absolute fury.

Katara was at a standstill with Mai. She had enough water to defend herself against the other girl's attacks, but not enough to exert the full force of her bending abilities. A few yards away from her, Sokka was frantically dodging Ty Lee's jabs while simultaneously ordering Pathik and Kuei to get on Appa. The acrobat suddenly got in a jab and Sokka thudded to the ground.

Katara gasped and readied herself against the two girls who were now rounding on her. She heard a horrible thumping sound and looked over her shoulder to see that the Dai Lee soldier had sprung a sneak attack on Aang and knocked him out. Toph ran to his rescue and kept the other Earthbender at bay.

"We'll never be able to hold him. Take those two instead." Zuko pointed at her and Sokka. Katara's eyes widened in alarm.

Mai sent a whirl of shurikins at the girl so that she was unable to avoid Ty Lee's jabs into both her legs and one of her arms. As she crumpled to the ground, Katara grabbed a hold of the acrobat's braid with her one working arm. Ty Lee yelped in pain and pulled her hair away to safety. Katara glared up at the two girls.

A shadow fell over her that abruptly ended her scowling session. She looked back in dismay to see Zuko advancing steadily towards her, his face grimly determined. Her mind flashed back to the nightmare she'd had only moments before. Katara felt herself going pale with fear. There was nothing that she could do when the prince scooped her up into his arms except feebly push against his chest with her un-paralyzed arm.

She felt weak and delicate held securely against the hard muscles of his chiseled body. It angered Katara that he had this effect on her. _Why do I have to be helpless in his arms yet again?_ Her fear began to be replaced by anger towards Zuko for being physically stronger than her. The girl curled her hand into a fist, prepared to strike out at him should he try to place his hands anywhere else on her body. The prince looked down at her fist quizzically but did not say anything.

Katara let out a soft protest as Zuko lifted her onto an ostrich horse. He mounted behind her, snaking his strong arm around her waist, keeping her firmly pressed against him. The physical closeness so soon after her nightmare caused the girl to start trembling softly. Mistaking her tremors for chill, the prince pulled off his tunic and slipped it over her head, gently guiding her hands through the armholes, then rolling up the sleeves to her wrists. Katara's mouth parted in an "o" shape in surprise. _Did he just give me his shirt? _She hadn't been cold, but now she felt comfortably warm in his clothes.

It was very…chivalrous of him. Her mind inexplicably began replaying romantic fairy tales of knights in shining armor riding off with rescued damsels. _This isn't romantic! I'm being kidnapped! _Her mental scolding chased away the ridiculous fantasies.

Katara felt safe enough for now to release the fist she was making. The girl wished she could sit up so that she wouldn't be leaning against Zuko, but her body was still numb from Ty Lee's attack. Her neck had become strained from trying to keep her head from falling back against his chest. She finally gave up and surrendered against the man that held her.

Zuko was glad to feel Katara relax into his hold. She was either too exhausted to continue resisting or she trusted him to safely hold her. The prince hoped it was the latter of the two. Either way, he was very much enjoying having the girl's nubile body resting compliantly against him.

At Ty Lee's insistence, the Dai Lee soldier tied Sokka to the back of her mongoose dragon, causing her to have uncontrollable giggling fits every five to ten seconds. The group set off with their prisoners and began riding to the east. The plan was to draw the Avatar into the desert, thereby slowing his progress towards General Fong's base and also put him at a disadvantage earth element wise. The sands were not strong enough to protect the monk defensively and there were few rocks which could be used for offensive attacks. And while the soldier's bending would be weakened, the agent was trained in hand-to-hand combat.

"Aang you cannot go after them. This is just like what happened the night I was teaching you to open your last chakra. Take Kuei and fly to Fong with all haste. I will go with Toph to rescue Sokka and Katara."

"But Guru, I thought you had taken an oath of nonviolence?"

Pathik laughed kookily. "I did. But my Sandbending friends to the East did not!"

Katara felt like they had been riding forever. She had gradually retained the use of her limbs. She was now able to sit upright on her own. The prince momentarily tensed when she moved away from him, and for a second she thought he was going to pull her back against him but then he relaxed. Katara supposed he was satisfied that he was in control as she was still in between his arms, which were holding the mount's reigns.

The girl spotted a small lake far off in the distance. It would be way too obvious if she suggested taking the animals to drink from it. She only hoped that one of them would suggest it.

"I'll watch Katara out here. You guys lead the animals to water."

_Dammit! Why does he have to be so careful?_

Katara felt nervous being alone with Zuko again. She turned away from him and said nothing, crossing her arms and frowning out at the plains.

"You aren't going to yell at me?" the prince asked. When she didn't respond he continued "Eventually you're going to have to talk to me you know."

She turned around furiously to face him. "How dare you even talk to me after everything you've done! I'm finished yelling at you! I'm not going to waste the time or the effort since I already know that it's useless!"

"You know, you are yelling right now."

Katara let out an angry argh in frustration. She stomped a short distance away from him to get some breathing room. A dangerous hissing noise suddenly broke the silence. The girl gasped as she locked eyes with a wild tigerdillo. As she slowly backed away from the creature, Zuko scared the beast off with a small blast of fire.

"You don't have to be afraid, Katara. I'll protect you," he said seriously.

She looked at him measuringly. His eyes seemed sincere but she wasn't about to believe anything Zuko said. Katara tried to turn away from him again but he quickly grasped her wrist, not allowing her to put any more distance between them.

"I'm not going to listen to your lies! You'll have to be satisfied with duping me once, but not twice!" She felt bitter tears forming in her eyes.

"I've never lied to you Katara. I told you I changed and I meant it. My decision that night doesn't erase what we shared together in the cave."

Katara couldn't stop the tears from flowing down her face. _Why is he bringing this up? If our conversation meant that much to him, why did he turn on me? _She shook her head in denial. "I don't know why you're doing this or what you think you have to gain from it, but you can stop it right now!"

Zuko gently pulled her closer but she pressed her arms against him, struggling to prevent further closeness. _He can't be trying to seduce me, can he?_

"I don't have anything to gain from saying these things. I'm not foolish enough to think I can win you over to my side."

She relaxed slightly in his grip, thinking that he meant he wasn't pursuing a relationship between them. _Thank goodness, I don't think I could take him trying to woo me after what he's done. _

She was snapped out of her thoughts by Zuko bringing her hands up to his mouth. He paused before they reached his lips. The prince solemnly gazed into her startled blue eyes before stating softly "I'm not going to give you a choice." And then he kissed both her hands.

Katara began trembling and forgot how to breathe. Her body started to feel very light as she took in what he had said. He wasn't going to give her a choice. What did that mean? What was he going to do? She felt her body sinking and then Zuko was holding her up against him, supporting her body, their lips only inches away. She searched his eyes, trying to find some evidence of reluctance to carry out what he had said. There was none.

"My friends are coming for me," she managed. It came out as a soft plea that he relent, rather than as the threat she intended it to be. But Zuko did not look a bit concerned.

"I'm keeping you," he replied.

And then his mouth was on hers.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Katara took in the sensations of the kiss through a daze of astonishment and discovery. _So this is what it feels like. _Zuko was kissing her softly and tenderly, without a trace of roughness. In fact, the prince's gentle kisses felt somewhat formal, as he made no move to intrude into her mouth the way that Katara had heard that couples did. This kiss felt like the kind she expected to have on a first date or after the marriage oaths.

Zuko slowly lifted his head up and stared into her eyes. She stared back at him shyly with a slight blush on her cheeks. It felt like she was gazing directly into his soul. Katara could see his restrained passion for her reflected in his steady golden eyes. She tried to will her senses to come back to her. He was still supporting her weight and rather than pull away, the girl felt the strangest urge to cling to him. She lowered her lashes and silently told herself to get a grip.

Katara was so engrossed in trying to detach herself from the situation that she didn't notice the others coming back from the lake. The Dai Lee soldier asked Zuko for orders and she gave out a little yip in surprise and reflexively pressed herself closer against the prince. When she realized what she had done she pulled away and he let her but kept a hand on her wrist.

During the next hours of riding Katara tried to think of escape strategies but her thoughts kept returning to Zuko. She could not for the life of her understand why he would be interested in her. Only two seasons ago the Firebender had stomped into her village and scared the living daylights out of her. He'd been mean and threatening. The girl had feared a repeat of the time that Fire Nation ships had come and her mother had been killed. Katara had suffered from nightmares about those looming vessels ever since her childhood. But Zuko hadn't hurt her or her tribe (except for knocking Sokka around a little)…but maybe he would have become more violent if Aang had not shown up so fast.

On Kyoshi Island he and his men had caught the villager's houses on fire without a care for who might be inside. Of course she'd made sure to hide everyone in the home furthest away from the prince's entrance, but what if she hadn't been fast enough? It had been so horrible having him chase them and descend upon whatever town they were in like a barbaric marauder. How could this be the same man who had been so gentle with her just before?

There had been hints that he might not be completely horrible. The time he'd tied her to the tree he hadn't really used violence to try to get her to talk. And he and his Uncle had not left her side all night, which had been somewhat comforting because the pirates had been pretty angry about the scroll. But maybe Zuko had just been guarding her in case she tried to escape.

It had been strange to her how much the prince had enjoyed having her necklace. She had refused to look at him but she'd had the sneaking suspicion that he was sending self-satisfied sideways glances at her. The jerk probably thought it was pretty funny that he had the upper hand. Right now he had the upper hand but he wasn't laughing. He was fairly quiet as they rode along while the two Fire Nation girls chatted back and forth. Katara let her mind drift off in time again.

She thought back to when Zuko surprised her and Sokka on the shirshu. Katara had been at a loss for words when the bounty hunter referred to her as the prince's "runaway girlfriend." Strangely, the Firebender hadn't corrected her, but then he was pretty focused on catching Aang…but not too focused that he didn't hold on to her in case she were to fall. Well so what, maybe he was a little nice, but Aang was nicer. It was Aang who gave her the necklace back.

"We can take shelter for the night in that abandoned house."

Katara was very aware of Zuko's hand on her wrist as he led her inside. She felt nervous that somehow he would know that she'd been thinking about him.

"I think we better feed them. This one's stomach has been growling for the last half hour. Hasn't it, Cutey?" Ty Lee cooed at Sokka who was bound at the wrists and was being dragged inside by the Dai Lee soldier.

They sat around an old dusty table and ate. Katara was not bound but Zuko sat next to her blocking any exit she might attempt through the door.

In between desperate gulps of food Sokka asked solemnly, "What exactly did you guys do to the Kyoshi Warriors?" Katara perked up, wanting very much to know this information herself.

Ty Lee looked at him measuringly for a second before answering, "We defeated them and took their ugly clothes. Hopefully they followed the fashion advice I gave them and found something better to wear." Sokka sighed in relief. Ty Lee's eyebrows shot up, "Suki is a Kyoshi Warrior isn't she? Which one was she?"

"I won't tell you anything," Sokka stated flinging his head dramatically to the side like a captured damsel.

"We'll see how long you keep that up without having food to eat. Won't we Cutey?" Ty Lee asked evilly, taking away his plate.

Sokka whimpered and looked to Katara for help. She sent an _I don't know what to do _glance back at him. The men started talking about strategies and what not. Katara used the opportunity to slip her brother a piece of her food. She had a feeling that Zuko had noticed but he didn't try to stop her.

As the siblings were laying down for bed they let out almost simultaneous surprised yelps when Zuko and Ty Lee lay down between them. Katara assumed this was to prevent her from untying Sokka during the night, but then the prince wrapped an arm around her waist and snuggled her against him.

"What are you doing?" she screeched.

"Holding you."

Katara felt herself blushing. She settled back onto the blanket and tried to pretend the prince of the Fire Nation wasn't cuddling her. _Why is this happening to me? _There was no point in fighting him, and he wasn't doing anything but holding her. Yet she wasn't sure she could stay calm being this close to him. She'd never slept this close to a boy before. It's not that it wasn't comfortable, and she imagined that she could lean against him and he wouldn't mind. But, there was something too intimate about falling asleep in his arms.

"You have no right to hold me like this."

"Don't I?"

_What does he mean by that?_

"No, you don't."

"Maybe I should pull you closer to make sure you don't try to escape tonight."

Katara gasped as he drew her closer to him. She clutched his arm and tried to push it off of her but he was too strong. The girl stiffened as Zuko brought his lips against her ear.

"Am I going to have to tie you up?"

She shuddered at the sensation of his breath in her ear. Katara didn't doubt that he would do it if she continued to resist him. She stopped pushing at his arm and bade herself to go limp against him. It wasn't like relaxing into his hold, it was more like a surrendering. The possessiveness in his words had convinced her that she must comply, at least for now. She felt frightened just imagining being tied up and completely helpless with him laying right there next to him. There would be nothing to stop him from…from… The nightmare from before replayed in her head and she clutched her hands against her chest in fright.

In her mind, the girl cried out for help from the goddess of mercy. Silently she mouthed the chant _"Namo Kuan Shih Yin Pu Sa" _over and over again and slowly began to relax again by degrees.

"What are you doing?"

Katara shot her eyes open wide in alarm. The prince was looking at her curiously.

"I'm praying."

"What are you praying for?"

"For help."

Zuko nodded his head in understanding and did not press her further. He chanted silently to himself _"Om Vajrapani Hūm."_

"What are you praying for?"

The prince stiffened slightly. _How did she know I'm praying?_

"For help."

"Isn't anyone gonna ask me what I'm praying for?" Sokka suddenly asked.

Everyone waited for him to enlighten them as to what was so important for him to pray for. He announced proudly, "A Midnight Snack" and was promptly pelted with five pillows.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Zuko slowly opened his eyes and took in his surroundings, making sure that everything was in order. It was early morning and the sun's rays were leisurely creeping in through the front window. Noticing he was the only one awake, the prince settled back down next to Katara. He gazed longingly at her beautiful face. This was the first time he had ever seen the innocent sensuality with which she carried herself in sleep. _I hope we always wake up like this together._ Zuko gently ran a hand through Katara's soft flowing hair. It waved about in a free and natural manner dissimilar to the hair of his people. The Firebender reverently trailed his eyes across her long dark eyelashes, her smooth cheeks, and the tender curves of her slightly parted lips. He hesitated then brought his hand up to lightly brush his thumb along the sleeping girl's full lower lip. Zuko breathed in sharply, aroused by the soft yielding satin under his caress. His amber eyes darkened with passion. The prince studied the perfect symmetry of her form hidden beneath the blanket. He ached to throw the cover off of her, pull her tightly against him, and make passionate love to her.

_I don't want to make her even angrier at me than she already is, _he chided himselfIt would probably be a better idea to wait until the girl actually wanted to have sex with him. Just because the Firebender was playing the part of the "bad guy," didn't mean he needed to pile on any more badness, however tempting it might be. He was just going to have to be patient. _I won't have to wait forever. _He smirked arrogantly to himself, knowing that he would definitely get to claim her body once they were married. Zuko allowed himself to imagine Katara in white, see-through lace lingerie. He thought about how her chest might look beneath the lace and actually had to grab his own hand to prevent himself from touching her. _Get a hold of yourself man! _The prince knew he should be more disciplined than this. He shouldn't even be tempting himself thinking about having her.

He quickly schooled his face lest she wake up to see him staring at her lecherously. Besides, first things first: keeping her away from the Avatar. Zuko didn't want that little punk getting anywhere near Katara. The kid probably had even more lecherous thoughts about her than he did! The prince had to keep them apart forever, or at least until he was in control of the situation. He was confident that he could woo her, but not while he was still fighting the Avatar.

_Katara's going to be pissed off at me until I settle this business_. Zuko accepted this, but he wanted to at least get her somewhere secure where she couldn't escape him but also wouldn't see him fight her friend. The girl's anger at him would fuel her defenses, but if she didn't actually witness him working for Azula she would have less strength to resist him. The Firebender puffed out his chest a little bit as he thought about his powers of seduction. Surely no woman could resist him. He had an urge to laugh kookily but he contained himself.

A bird screeched outside, causing him to startle reflexively. Without opening her eyes, Katara wrapped her slim arms around Zuko and drew him down against her body, snuggling his head against her chest.

"It's okay Aang, go back to sleep," she said drowsily, softly patting his head.

_Poor Aang. He gets frightened so easily sometimes. _Katara paused while patting the boy's head. _Hair? Aang doesn't have hair._ She was afraid to open her eyes but she did anyways and gasped. Zuko's surprised face was only inches away from hers and her fingers were buried within his dark hair.

Katara gaped up at the prince and pulled away from him. A frown flitted across his face before he shuttered his expression. He reached across and pulled her against his body. The girl brought her hands up between them but could not escape the steel-like arms that had captured her.

"Does the Avatar normally sleep next to you?" The set of his jaw held a distinct menace towards the young monk in question.

_How should I answer that? Does it even matter at this point?_

"We sleep next to each other sometimes," she said slowly, "He's my best friend."

The prince looked at her incredulously.

"I hope that you're grateful I got you out of there before you had to wake up with a prepubescent bald kid whacking off on top of your sleeping bag."

Katara felt an anger ignite within her that she had never felt before. The Waterbender was so furious that she could not move or speak for a split second. Then she brought her hand back and slapped the prince of the Fire Nation as hard as she could. Katara had never been physically violent to anyone before but it was a good hard slap that knocked his face to the side.

Zuko turned back to face her, his features severe and the skin beneath his cheek flushed from the blow. The Firebender tossed the blanket off of her and brought himself over her body, pinning her small wrists above her head with one powerful hand.

"Let go of me!" She struggled but to no avail.

The prince lowered his face down to Katara's, holding her gaze as he took her lips. He kissed her bruisingly and forced his tongue inside of her. The girl whimpered at the intimate touch. She had never experienced anything like this with anyone before. Katara shut her eyes, blocking out the penetrating golden gaze but unable to stop his invasion of her mouth.

She trembled helplessly at the sensations as Zuko slowly, tantalizingly lapped at her mouth. The Firebender kissed her thoroughly, searing her with the heat of his passion. Katara's body was burning as if she were trapped within a circle of fire. Her whimpers came out in short muffled gasps around his mouth and tongue. Her chest was heaving against the hardness of his body. Zuko's powers radiated about her making her feel heady, as if she were being taken by the great god Vajrapani himself. It seemed that she had no choice but to lay back while he enjoyed her in whatever manner he intended.

As a Water Tribe maiden her fears of his caress were imprinted in her from times long ago, before the Fire Nation had become xenophobic, when the men would sometimes carry off women of the Water Tribes. Firebenders who believed their family line had become unbalanced with too much fire would take Water maidens as brides. These things happened long ago so no one was still alive who had witnessed such events but tales had been passed down of raids by the Fire Nation when the men would come at high noon (the strongest time for firebending) and search out a waterbending maiden that caught their eye. Some said that this was the reason the Northern Tribe stopped allowing their women to use their bending abilities in combat and instead stay safely away in healing quarters.

They would hoist the women over their shoulders and the ice reverberated with masculine laughter and female screams as they were stolen away from home and family. The Water Tribe men told of how their ancestors watched their female brethren being carried below the deck of the Fire Nation ships, their cries cut off by the slam of steel doors, taken away by sea under who knows what kind of treatment. No one ever escaped so no one knew what befell the maidens.

Two tears slid slowly from Katara's eyes down to the floor. Zuko paused and Katara slowly lifted her lashes. The prince was breathing heavily and faintly perspiring. She struggled to speak, her mouth tender from his kiss.

"Please don't do this."

The Firebender studied her for long moments.

"I want you."

Katara fought within herself to not move, not do anything that would draw attention to her body. Her dress was slightly loose at her chest and she tried to slow her breathing.

"Please, Zuko."

"No one can take you away from me Katara. I won't let them. I won't let **him**."

Meanwhile in Wan Shi Tong's Library a fox hands Professor Zei an old looking book it had been carrying in its mouth. The professor looks at the fox in astonishment.

"You found something? You actually found something that has information about the Fire Nation?"

The fox wags its tail excitedly.

"Well let's see here, it doesn't have a title but.."

The professor begins to read the book. He is immediately engrossed in the text. Suddenly he blushes and closes the journal. The fox whimpers worriedly.

"It's okay. This is good. A little risqué… but I bet we're going to find something in here that will help the Avatar stop the Fire Lord."

Zei and the fox stare at the tattered old journal

Next is diary snippet

With the sun on his side, the Firebender easily overpowered me. I'll never forget the evil look of triumph he had on his face when he evaporated my water whips. It was enough to make me turn tail and run for safety. He'd just laughed and chased me down on his komodo rhino. I screamed in fear when he pulled me up and across his saddle. He took me aboard the ship and put me over his muscular shoulder. The Firebender held my weight with ease, despite my struggles.

I begged him to release me but he took me inside the vessel and into his room. He allowed me to slide out of his arms and I backed away from him to the opposite wall. The man just watched me with a smirk on his face, knowing there was nowhere for me to go to escape him. I didn't like the way he looked at me - like he owned me. No one has ever looked at me like that. I was frightened by the heat in his gaze and the promise of imminent, forceful intimacy.

When he started walking towards me, I couldn't even move. He pulled off my coat and drew me against him. The Firebender boldly kissed me, I pushed him but he was too strong. He pulled the side of my dress down, baring my shoulder and some of my undergarments. I swooned and he caught me and lowered me to the bed.


End file.
